Set in the criminal quarter in an unnamed city, referred to as the Budayeen, somewhere in the Middle East, the gaming world centers on Arabic culture. You quickly get to know the people of this region and how the coming of "infadel" western technology and the reawakening has affected them. Designed as a sort of film-noir in the desert, it is a wonderfully done setting.
For my money, this is the definitive setting of the cyberpunk genre. All the classic elements are there: just-beyond tomorrow technology, drugs, sex, and a casual disdain for human life. Style is far more important than substance, as eloquently expressed in the form of moddies, jackable personality recordings that make you whomever you want to be. Hard, objective truth is by turns an inconvenience or a victim to practicality and hypocrisy.
The two most engaging things about this setting are, in fact, the two things that should stand out in any game: the characters and the setting. Most often in scifi these both take a back seat to technology. In "Gravity", the technology exists only to enhance the characters, as we see how they use (and abuse) its capabilities. Best of all, Effinger�s world captures the film noir quality of cyberpunk with style and elegance. The good guys might win, but it is a pyrrhic victory. If you want a rpg experience with style, grit, and integrity (and not a little cynicism), this is an excellent choice.
We have combined this setting with the world of this harsh Arabic community with the reawakening of the world in Shadowrun. The players are "Runners", those who exist at the fringes of society. They do what others will not and cannot do. Every day is a struggle to survive, every mission is potentially their last. |
